Elasticity: Matching Capacity to Demand

According to IDC, a typical server utilizes an average of 15% of its capacity. That means 85% of a company’s capital investment can be categorized as waste. While virtualization can increase server capacity to as high as 80%, the company is still faced with 20% waste under the best case scenario. The situation gets worse when companies have to forecast demand for specific periods; e.g., the holiday season in December. If they buy too much capacity, they overspend and create waste. If they buy too little, they create customer experience and satisfaction issues.

The elasticity of Amazon Web Services (AWS) removes the need to forecast demand and buy capacity up-front. Companies can scale their infrastructure up and down as needed to match capacity to demand. Common use cases include: a) fast growth (new projects, startups); b) on and off (occasionally need capacity); c) predictable peaks (specific demand at specific times); and d) unpredictable peaks (demand exceeds capacity). Use the elasticity of AWS to eliminate waste and reduce costs over traditional IT, while providing better experiences and performance to users.